14 Sep - Butternut Squash Results

A few years ago I planted a few butternut squashes, if I recall correctly they were an unnamed variety labelled under the Wilko seed brand. I even managed to get a few squashes from a couple of plants that survived my ham-fisted growing attempts. The upshot was that the family really enjoyed them so I've grown a few for the past couple of seasons.

Over the Winter I did a bit of research and downloaded the RHS plant trial they conducted on butternuts (link at the bottom of the article) and thought I'd try 'Hunter F1' because the variety tested very well and was bred to ripen in the UK's short summer. (Below - butternuts first planted out).

I sowed the butternuts on the 15th April in a heated propagator then moved them into an unheated greenhouse when established. They were potted on into larger pots when required and ten were planted outside on the allotment in the space vacated by my early potatoes - this was on the 12th June just as the weather was warming up nicely. (Below - first fruits).

I also planted bottomless, up-turned plastic bottles next to each plant to act as a funnel for watering and feeding. Once the squash are established it can be difficult to see where the plants are anchored into the ground so the bottles get water and liquid feed direct to the roots. I used a basic, home-brand high potash liquid tomato feed once a week when the fruits were beginning to form. I hand pollinated at every opportunity to ensure fruit set on all the vines. (Below - early September and the usual powdery mildew has set in).

I harvested them on 13th September when powdery mildew had all but finished off the plants - I could have left them a week or two longer but as there wasn't going to be any further growth I decided to take them up. While I didn't get the prolific quantity the RHS got in their trial I certainly got enough squash to last a few months! I haven't counted how many butternuts I have but there is a plastic crate full plus a full hessian sack - a fantastic crop. (Below - a crate and sack full of butternut squash).

I'm delighted with the Hunter F1 butternut - the sizes vary a little but most are a good size and they taste absolutely delicious. We use loads of squashes roasted as part of a cooked Sunday lunch where they compliment the other vegetables so well. The Hunter F1 AGM are a good choice and are available from a number of seed suppliers. (Below - a decent squash harvest minus the load we've already eaten and given away - there's a pumpkin to come too).

Link to the RHS Butternut Squash trial: RHS Butternut Trial

07 Sep - Carrot Growing Experiment Results

I decided this season to try and grow a decent carrot. Not a hard thing for some people I know but, with my stony clay soil, I've never grown a carrot worthy of the name. In April I used two new ways to grow carrots on the allotment (see 11th April 2014 post) and, in good old school science parlance, here are the methods, results and conclusions.

The first method involved creating newspaper tubes, filling them with a mixture of compost and sand then sowing a few seeds on top of each tube - thinning to one seedling per tube. The tubes were stood up in a bucket until the plants had established then the whole tube, plant and all were set out in holes in the ground.

The second method I used was to push a metal bar into the ground about two foot down and to wiggle it around in circles to create a conical hole. The bar was removed and the hole filled with a prepared mixture of compost and sand. A few seeds were sown on top of each hole, again thinned to one strong plant.

Well what were the results and conclusions? Firstly, the newspaper tubes were a bit of a faff to make and to plant out without falling apart. The bar method was easier to do in a prepared bed. The carrots produced by both methods were basically the same so, the bar method is the way to go if growing in poor soils for carrots. Seed is also important, I used Sweet Candle F1 for the experiment, which produces large main crop carrots though I also tried a few Early Nantes as well with the bar method and got good a row of finger length carrots. (Below - a freshly pulled Sweet Candle F1 carrot - not very pretty but a good size).

While my crop won't win any beauty prizes at local vegetable shows they are still the best carrots I've ever grown and I'm delighted. Every carrot is of a good size with the smallest being larger than anything I've produced before. Forking in the carrots I've pulled so far has been minimal though the biggest issue I've had is splitting due to having a dry spell of weather then heavy rain causing an irregular watering pattern. Nevertheless, the odd split won't affect taste.

Conclusions? The bar method is relatively easy to do and a bucket of sand and cheap compost mixture goes a surprisingly long way and will fill quite a few holes. The method of using newspaper tubes is not worth the hassle though an alternative to both of course is to have a barrel or box just for carrot growing but this would cost a lot more in terms of sand and compost. If you are going to grow for shows then a barrel or crate is the way to go. The correct seed is pretty vital, the Sweet Candle F1 produces large main crop carrots which are equally at home on the show bench as well as the dinner plate - they taste great which is the most important thing.

That's it, bye for now ...